# What do you call that whozeewhatzit? The thingamabob. . . whatchamacallit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465 "2003-10-14T22:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/21 "2003-10-15T04:27:16Z")
Dealy-bobber, whozit, thingy over here. And I like dongle, although I’m sure I’ll get in trouble using it 'cause it does sound obscene. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/22 "2003-10-15T05:02:39Z")
Flux capacitor Whizpin ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/23 "2003-10-15T05:33:05Z")
Thing- a-ma-doogle. Doo-hickey. F’n f’er thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Shana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shana)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/24 "2003-10-15T06:00:16Z")
Was raised on Long Island and I say “thingy” as well. But mostly I say “Doodely-doo”. “Um, uh, hand me that doodely doo!” My husband thinks that’s a bit strange, but I like it! ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/25 "2003-10-15T06:13:51Z")
Let’s not forget the legitimate; Gimcrack, gew-gaw, dingus, dofunny and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/26 "2003-10-15T06:49:18Z")
I use doinker, but only for something that is used on something else. Like all barrettes and hair elastics are called hair doinkers. Or that thing that helps to open jars is the jar doinker. I also sometimes say hooker dooker. Where I picked that up, I’d love to know. Otherwise, I say thingie. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/27 "2003-10-15T07:34:57Z")
I use either thingamajig, or doozy-whatsits. I’m British. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/28 "2003-10-15T07:57:46Z")
Hey, you know that, that, Oh …wuthtfukizit ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/29 "2003-10-15T08:01:20Z")
Damn, I can’t believe I misspelled \*\*wuthafukizit \*\* ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/30 "2003-10-15T08:28:11Z")
Amongst certain types in the UK there’s a tendency to say ‘ooojumaflip’ but it is a tiny bit forced and pretentious, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/31 "2003-10-15T13:09:07Z")
I just remembered my father’s favorite “hooskidu”. I thought it was great that my dad somehow learned Swedish, like that company that made that game. Don’t remember the game, all I remember is that my Dad could talk Swedish. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/32 "2003-10-15T13:20:41Z")
the festeris (fa-steris) “Susan, where’s that thing…you know, the black thing…oh,you know…the festeris.” ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/33 "2003-10-15T13:22:42Z")
Yim yam is the main one when our family get together. We are not averse to doo hickies, wotjercallits and wotsanames, but the name for mechanical ones is always giggle pins. Very articulate, us. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/34 "2003-10-15T14:29:45Z")
Around our house, all gidgers that go in your hair (pins, clips, bands, etc.) are “Hair dooders.” Everything else is a “phing”–as in where did I put that, uh, writer-phing? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/35 "2003-10-15T14:36:57Z")
thingamajig whoosiewhatsit thingamabob whatchamajigit whatchamacallit I’m giggling just typing these words. I’m such a maroon. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/36 "2003-10-15T14:41:09Z")
Am I the only “whosamacallit” person here? ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/37 "2003-10-15T16:41:51Z")
I go for the seldom used “thinger.” I find it to be much more tastefull than the vulgar “thingy.” I also use “shwack(er)” (not to be confused with “shwag”)and “shwooper.” Any of these words can have a long “e” or an “er” added to the ends. For example: **Take the thinger and tie the shwag back to the shwacker to avoid tangling up the shwoopey.** And strangely enough, people seem to understand me. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/38 "2003-10-15T16:51:58Z")
I’m a Whatchamacallit fan, but I find that my family is the only one I’ve met to use a modified form of “thingy,” which is “tsicky.” I don’t know how it would be spelled for real, but since it’s not a real word, I guess it doesn’t matter much. It does have a slight “T” sound right before the “sicky” part, kind of like in “tsunami.” ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/39 "2003-10-15T17:00:10Z")
It depends on the thing in question. Obviously, any small electronic or mechanical device is a “gizmo”, and an animal or insect is a “critter”. A person could be a “whozits” or a “whatchamacall’im/'er”. Anything else is a “humminawhatzits”. (Pardon me if any of those are misspelled, but my dictionary wasn’t very helpful.) I should also add that I once used “thingymacdoodley” in a moment of utter frustration, but I felt completely mortified immediately after it flew out of my mouth. Never again. I’m Californian, born and bred, if that makes any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465/40 "2003-10-15T18:58:21Z")
I call 'em “Dealys” thanks to Homer Simpson. And I use “Whodidwhatwherewithwhonow?” when I can’t understand what someone said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-that-whozeewhatzit-the-thingamabob-whatchamacallit/207465.md?page=3)